Headaches and Headlines
Response to Jackie’s Response 
So many good points have been made about the inappropriateness of colloquialism, improper grammar, and misspellings in the workplace. Especially when trying to fill positions of high affluence and power, employers are looking for candidates who can present themselves intelligibly, eloquently, and sophisticatedly.
So many people have astutely pointed out that with the rise in technology and the fast-paced world of instant messaging, the generations of students that come into the classroom continue to drift farther and farther away from the academic English teachers try to instill within them. The text messages and social networking posts that consume a large portion of students’ lives are peppered with slang, abbreviations, misspellings, and numerous emoticons that give teachers headaches and make them cringe. >.< See what I just did there? Haha, jk. I totally meant 2 do tht on prpose.
Interestingly enough, I believe that teachers can turn these problems (and headaches) into solutions. First, teachers should emphasize to students that when they write, they should keep their audience in mind and emphasize the question: “How does your writing reflect how people perceive you?” A teacher may emphasize that the teacher is not the only audience of student-produced work. For example, teachers should provide students with writing prompts that make hypothetical bosses and employers their audience.
Secondly, teachers have the capacity to make learning grammar fun by making students translate text messages into academic English. One of the first-year teachers I met at the high school I teach at did this and his students loved it.
Lastly, I would like to address a point that has been emphasized in the previous threads, namely that students sometimes fail to realize how silly or ignorant people perceive them to be when their quality of work is not up to par with the expectations of a literate society. Showing (edited) clips like the “Headlines” segment from Jay Leno’s Daily Show may be a funny, entertaining way to show students the importance of grammar and good writing.
